May 31, 2013

From Russia with Sexual Entrapment: an interview with Jason Matthews, author of "Red Sparrow"

Jason
Matthews' novel, Red Sparrow,
is set for release through Simon & Schuster very soon. To help
promote the promising new spy thriller, a blog tour kicks off today,
starting right here on Wag The Fox. To keep up with Jason along with
the tour, you can find all the information you need by clicking here (you'll find a metric ton of information on the book and the author, including some cool video clips, one you can find at the bottom of this blog post).
For now though, read through a brief interview I had with Jason about
his new book and his thoughts on espionage as a whole. Enjoy.

Gef:
It seems Russia can't help but be fertile ground for spy thrillers.
Was there something particular that drew you to Russia for a novel?
Since I'm someone with what amounts to a pedestrian understanding of
Russia, I wonder if it's the mystique and/or bizarre nature of
Vladimir Putin, or the outed spies from a couple years back, or
something else.

Jason:
All of the above. Russia was always the main adversary, and
they’re still competitors on the world stage. Their
intelligence services are among the best. They ran (are
running?) illegals inside the U.S. (and Canada?) Russia still
also supports rogue states like Iran and Syria. The most
interesting aspect of course is President Putin who is essentially
re-creating the old Soviet Union. This time, instead of the
Soviet politburo and worldwide Communism, it’s corrupt oligarchs,
the politics of gas and oil, repression of critics. It’s a
fascinating, ongoing drama.

Gef:
While technology has certainly advanced over the decades,
would that be the biggest change with regards to intelligence
gathering and espionage? Is there anything particular that might be
regarded as a generational shift in how intelligence gathering is
done?

Jason:
Some of the obvious, big changes in intelligence work are instant
global communications, the internet, cyber threats, and smaller stuff
like face recognition software and identity tracing.
Intelligence targets have also evolved from the Cold War: Now
it’s global terrorism, financial intelligence, radical Islam,
proliferation, and regional conflicts. They pose collection
challenges, and require a different kind of intelligence officer with
modern skills, good language, and deep knowledge of the issues.

Gef:
It's always the case that people in a particular field will quickly
spot the flaws in film depicting their line of work, whether
soldiers, doctors, lawyers, or even some guy that runs a sleazy
motel. Since you have three decades and change as an intelligence
officer, any films that stick out in your mind for their
misrepresentations--or even something they got spot on?

Jason:
Hollywood usually focuses on the flashy, entertaining aspects of the
spy game. Real life espionage is not that exciting.
Movies like Mr. and Mrs. Smith
and Salt are pretty
ridiculous, but others like Spy
Who Came in From the Cold (1965) and The
Kremlin Letter (1970) are very authentic. The movie
Argo was pretty
realistic too.

Gef:
Dominika Egorova, the protagonist, of Red Sparrow is a
"trained seductress." That's a helluva way to make a
living. I hear a phrase like that and my mind drifts to a James Bond
flick. How prevalent would you say is the art--or science--of
seduction?

Jason:
During the Cold War the KGB used sexual entrapment as a standard
technique, provided they could manipulate the target into a honey
trap. Western intelligence services usually avoided coercion in
a recruitment because it is generally thought that a blackmailed
source will be resentful and prone to fabrication and/or revenge.

Gef:
I imagine the research process must have been old hat for you by
the time you sat down to write Red Sparrow. Assuming I'm
right, was there a part of the writing process you found daunting as
you wrote this novel? What was the biggest lesson learned walking
away from it?

Jason:
I found that I had to be pretty disciplined, writing every day,
getting into a habit. Then I encountered the usual challenges
of character development, pace, dialogue, and suspense. I’ve
always appreciated good writing and engaging novels, but it’s an
elusive goal.